An SRE says in a standup: "We need to _____ a new cluster in us-east before the load test starts." Which phrasal verb means "launch and configure a new environment"?
Spin up is correct. In IT, "spin up" specifically refers to starting and provisioning a new environment, container, VM, or service instance. It comes from the physical analogy of a hard disk spinning up to operational speed. Set up means to configure, but does not carry the sense of launching/provisioning. Kick off means to start a process or project. Boot out means to forcibly remove someone — not relevant here.
2 / 12
A product manager says in a planning meeting: "Let's _____ the discussion about the API redesign — we're running out of time." Which phrasal verb means "end or conclude the current discussion"?
Wrap up is correct. "Wrap up" means to bring something to a conclusion — a meeting, a discussion, a sprint, a task. It is extremely common in English-speaking workplaces. Sign off means to give formal approval or to end a working session. Hand off means to transfer responsibility to another person. Fall back means to revert to a backup option.
3 / 12
A release manager writes: "The deployment has been _____ pending a security review." Which phrasal verb means "temporarily stopped/paused"?
Held up is correct. "Hold up" (passive: "has been held up") means to delay or stop progress, often due to an external blocker. In release and project management contexts, it is the natural way to express that something is waiting/delayed. Pulled in means to include in a sprint or release. Rolled back means to revert to a previous version. Torn down means to dismantle an environment.
4 / 12
A DevOps engineer says: "The new feature flag has been _____ to 10% of users — we'll increase it gradually." Which phrasal verb means "deployed/activated for a subset of users"?
Rolled out is correct. "Roll out" means to gradually release or deploy something — a feature, an update, or a policy — typically in stages. It is the standard term in release management for controlled deployments. Handed off means to transfer to another team. Kicked off means to start a project or process. Set up means to configure, not to deploy.
5 / 12
A team lead says at the start of a sprint: "Let's _____ the retrospective — can you take notes, please?" Which phrasal verb means "start/begin"?
Kick off is correct. "Kick off" means to start something — a meeting, a project, a sprint, a ceremony. It comes from the football (soccer) kick-off. It is extremely common in agile and project management contexts. Spin up refers to provisioning environments, not starting meetings. Wrap up means to end. Sign off means to approve or log off.
6 / 12
An engineer says during an incident: "The new build is making things worse — we need to _____ to the previous version immediately." Which phrasal verb means "revert to an earlier state"?
Roll back is correct. "Roll back" is the standard IT term for reverting a deployment, database migration, or configuration change to a previous state. It is used in CI/CD, database management, and infrastructure operations. Fall back means to use a backup option (e.g., "fall back to the secondary server") — a related but different concept. Pull in means to include a dependency or bring into scope. Tear down means to dismantle.
7 / 12
A team lead writes in a handover document: "I will _____ the incident ownership to the night shift team at 18:00 UTC." Which phrasal verb means "transfer responsibility"?
Hand off is correct. "Hand off" (noun: "handoff" or "handover") means to formally transfer responsibility, a task, or ownership from one person or team to another. It is standard in on-call rotations, project transitions, and incident management. Sign off means to give approval or end a session. Kick off means to start something. Pull in means to include or bring something into scope.
8 / 12
A developer writes in a PR comment: "Can we _____ the new logging library into this release? It would make debugging much easier." Which phrasal verb means "include/add to the scope"?
Pull in is correct. "Pull in" means to include an additional item — a feature, a dependency, a task — into the current scope (a release, a sprint, or a merge). It is common in sprint planning and release management. Spin up means to provision an environment. Roll out means to deploy. Hold up means to delay.
9 / 12
An infrastructure engineer writes: "Once the migration is complete, we can _____ the old VMs to reduce costs." Which phrasal verb means "decommission/shut down and remove"?
Tear down is correct. "Tear down" in infrastructure contexts means to decommission, remove, and destroy environments — VMs, containers, test environments, or cloud resources. It is the opposite of "spin up". Wrap up means to conclude a meeting or task. Sign off means to approve. Fall back means to revert to a backup.
10 / 12
A manager says during a project review: "Before we _____ the new authentication system, we need security sign-off." Which phrasal verb means "deploy/launch to users"?
Roll out is correct. "Roll out" means to release or deploy to users, often in stages. Note the difference from "sign off" in this sentence — "sign-off" is the noun (security approval), while "roll out" is the action of deploying. The sentence contrasts the deployment action with the prerequisite approval. Kick off means to start a project or meeting. Set up means to configure. Sign off (verb) means to give approval — it is used as a noun in this sentence.
11 / 12
Sarah, the QA engineer, writes in a Slack message: 'I'm going to debug this error and see if I can find the root cause.' Which phrasal verb best describes Sarah's action?
'Debug' as a phrasal verb means to systematically investigate and try to resolve an error or malfunction. The incorrect options relate to different actions like dismissing the issue, increasing its importance, or simply disregarding it. This scenario focuses on troubleshooting, a common activity for QA professionals.
12 / 12
Sarah, the QA engineer, writes in a Slack message: 'I'm going to debug this error and see if I can find the root cause.' Which phrasal verb best describes Sarah's action?
'Debug' as a phrasal verb means to systematically investigate and try to resolve an error or malfunction. The incorrect options relate to different actions like dismissing the issue, increasing its importance, or simply disregarding it. This scenario focuses on troubleshooting, a common activity for QA professionals.
What will I practise in "Phrasal Verbs for IT Professionals — Grammar Exercise"?
Master essential IT phrasal verbs: set up, pull in, roll back, spin up, tear down, hand off, kick off, wrap up, sign off, fall back.
How many exercises are in this module?
This module has 12 multiple-choice exercises, each with instant feedback and a full explanation of the correct answer.
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You'll immediately see which answer was correct, plus a full explanation covering the grammar rule and reasoning behind it — mistakes are where most of the learning happens.
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Where can I find more Grammar exercises?
Browse the full Grammar hub for related drills, or check the "Next up" link below to continue with a connected topic.
How is this different from reading an article on the same topic?
Articles explain grammar rules in prose; this exercise tests and reinforces those rules through active recall with immediate feedback — the two work best together.
Who writes these exercises?
Every exercise is written by the CoderSlingo team, drawing on real workplace English used in IT roles, then reviewed for accuracy and clarity.